Category: Uncategorized

Incredible – I managed to lose the power cord to my Samsung laptop during my recent travels. I had no idea how attached I am to my routine 🙂

When I got home, and discovered that I’d lost my power cord, I was astonished. After a couple days of trying to compensate with my IPad (a very old IPad2 from 2010), I got myself into the car, laptop in hand, and went to Office Depot and Best Buy. NONE of the generic cords they had would work. OMG. So I went online with Samsung, and their chat analyst told me what parts I need. But the cost… it gave me pause. $75.

That’s a week of groceries for me. hmmm. Two weeks later, and I realize how much it means to me to get up in the morning, put on the coffee, and take that first cup over to my sofa, turn on the news on the tele, and catch up with my blogger friends and my world.

Well, I seem to be spending a lot of time recycling things that no longer fit. It’s very satisfying!

This was originally a Vogue 1297 Sandra Betzina dress. And I loved it. But it was simply too big by the end of May.

The remake is a simple bodice (Kwik Sew 3873) and lightly gathered A-line skirt. It’s the same approach I took with my Valentines dress (here).

Happy woman…

Now, about coffee. I’ve discovered cold brew coffee and really enjoy it in the afternoon with a little fat-free milk. It’s so expensive in stores, I suppose because it’s trendy right now. Umm. It’s just cold water and coffee, easy peasy to make at home.

I use my Riklig teapot from IKEA (the infuser is perfect for holding the coffee grounds), medium-grind coffee, and cold water from the faucet. And simply let it ‘steep’ for about 12 hours.

Then I strain it into a jug, using a fabric colador. The latter traps any residue suspended in the coffee or lurking on the bottom of the pot. This step is not required, I just think it makes sense.

It’s great – a little different, and delicious over ice or with milk.

End of my cooking tale. It’s a good reflection of my kitchen aspirations, because I seldom cook unless someone’s visiting. I consider the microwave to be one of the premier inventions of the 20th century:-)

Just when you think you know a couple things about yourself – skin tone, color palette – you go and let your gray white hair grow out in all its glory. Let the color games begin!

I’ve been asked if my hair color change has affected my color choices. Honestly, at first I didn’t even think about it. I was more worried about finding the right hair products to keep out yellow tones. But lately I’ve had more sewing wadders than ever in my life, and I know why: I wasn’t really paying attention to that hair…

My hair color change has major impact – I went from a warm color palette to a cool one.

Except that I didn’t really make that change for quite a while! Recent mistakes include not one, but two dresses with dominant yellow-limes. Both make my skin very yellow!

In addition to color issues, I was flooding my face with nearby busy prints. I love prints, the brighter and more colorful, the better. Umm. Restraint needed – they are very jarring against my face/hair now.

Yesterday I spent time in my closet, focusing on dresses and tops (my pants are ‘reasonably’ neutral – I do love prints on pants ), and I pulled out these guys:

Which leaves me with a nice selection from the cool side of the color wheel:

One thing I’ve noticed is that white and black are great for me now. I’ve always loved white near my face, but black is new territory. I’m really enjoying it. And I’m not alone -they’re predominant color choices for gray-haired ladies, whatever age, on the many sites I’ve browsed in my color journey.

A couple of the jewel tones – emerald, royal blue – are also new for me, but I find them really working now. This little Cali Faye Gardenia dress, sewn for wearing around the house, has been a surprise. I love how it looks on me!

And this tunic has become a favorite as well.

Did you notice that my closet is not exactly bulging now? Great reason to do some thoughtful stash replenishment (I needed an excuse, right?). Winging their way to me soon, some blues and white for outfits. And a few new patterns, to keep things rolling.

What an interesting exploration, definitely fun and revealing. I’ve also watched a lot of videos on makeup for my ‘new’ palette, equally enlightening. But that’s another post. For now, back to those crayons. Here’s my take on the good/better/best – that box of 64 was a Christmas list item for years.

I would love to hear your experiences with shifting palettes and color discoveries!

Well, chopping the shoulders off my dress form, Emile, was a great decision in one way – I can get my garments over her. But she has looked decidedly pitiful with the gaping holes where I wielded my saw. The tape helped, but it has been bugging me…

Putting off a replacement purchase, I decided that Emile just needed some new clothes. I’ve had a couple yards of 100% cotton rib knit in my stash for ages, untouched except for a few rib cuffs. And it was perfect for this project.

With some basic measurements from Emile, I made a very fitted tube that gives her a nice fresh look:

I turned the top and bottom edges to the inside and ran a line of elastic cord through the fold of the fabric. A cord stop lets me pull the hem tight at both ends. Works great!

And such pretty shoulders…

In my heart, I know I want to replace Emile anyway. Why is this so hard!? She’s getting rickety, in addition to being too large, so it’s time, but she has been good company.

I’ve been thinking about getting a display form, rather than one that’s adjustable. I don’t use mine for fitting anyway – I do that on me 🙂 This one from Only Mannequins looks nice, has good reviews, and is a fraction of the cost of an adjustable form. Any recommendations?